“I’m feeling good. My arm feels strong. I’m ready to go,” he said
during a pre-fight media call. “I was hungry to fight. I asked to
fight in Brazil, and I got an opportunity to fight in Brazil. I’m
recovered. I’ve had great training sessions. In training, I’m
always being tested, so I believe if I’m training well, I’ll fight
well.”

Nogueira was originally booked to return at UFC 149 in July.
However, he was forced to withdraw from a scheduled matchup with
French kickboxer Cheick Kongo
after he reinjured his surgically repaired arm in training.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t take the fight in July,”
Nogueira said. “I had two months of training for this fight. I ate
a high kick in training and blocked a kick with the formerly broken
arm. I wasn’t feeling good, so I had to pull out. Now, I’m going to
fight in Brazil, which is a big honor for me. I’m very
excited.”

With more than half (20) of his professional victories by
submission, Nogueira knows where his bread is buttered, and he
clearly views Herman -- who has publicly referred to Brazilian
jiu-jitsu as “useless” -- as vulnerable on the ground.

“My BJJ works very well,” he said. “For this fight especially, I
trained a lot of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If it goes to the ground, I
will go for it. He talks smack about BJJ, but he’s not fought
someone with submissions like me before.”

Teixeira Follows Liddell’s Lead

The 32-year-old Brazilian wrecking ball will enter his light
heavyweight showcase with Fabio
Maldonado having won 16 consecutive fights, 15 of them via
knockout, technical knockout or submission. He took notes from one
of his mentors, a certain mohawked
UFC hall of famer.

“I’ve wanted to be in the UFC for so long, and now that I’m here,
it’s living a dream,” Teixeira said. “I learned from Chuck Liddell
that it’s important to be an exciting fighter, to go for the
finish, and that it’s important for you to go out and excite the
crowd.”

Teixeira dazzled in his promotional debut at UFC 146 in May, as he
bashed Kyle
Kingsbury with brutal striking volleys before submitting the
American Kickboxing Academy export with a first-round
arm-triangle choke. He was originally slated to meet Quinton
Jackson in the UFC 153 co-main event, but “Rampage” withdrew
with an injury and opened the door for Maldonado to move in.

“I will fight anyone in the UFC,” Teixeira said. “I waited so long
to get here. I will fight anyone.”

Maldonado has suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time as a
mixed martial artist, having dropped decisions to Kingsbury and
Igor
Pokrajac. The 32-year-old Team Nogueira representative has
compiled a 22-0 record, with 21 knockouts, as a professional boxer
and has become revered for his ability and willingness to attack
the body in the cage. Teixeira does not expect him to back
down.

“Maldonado is a good fighter and will bring the fight two me,” he
said, “but I will knock him out, ‘Knockout of the Night,’
maybe.”

Maldonado, who has never been knocked out, shrugged at the
thought.

“He said he will knock me out? He’s never encountered a strong chin
like mine,” Maldonado said. “I know for a fact my boxing is better
than Glover’s. I know he’s never seen anyone with my boxing skills.
I know he’s a great fighter with hype and a lot of people don’t
want to face him, but I do. I have one advantage: I know how to
hurt people. My strategy is to exchange punches and see who’s the
toughest. I will defeat him.”

This & That

Middleweight champion Anderson
Silva has won more fights (16) during his current winning
streak than opponent Stephan
Bonnar has won in his entire career (15) ...
American Top Team’s Gleison Tibau
owns 25 professional victories, making him the third-winningest
fighter on the UFC 153 roster. He trails only Nogueira (33) and
Silva (32) ... Jon Fitch holds a
13-1-1 mark in bouts that reach the judges. He meets surging
Brazilian Erick Silva,
who has not gone the distance in more than three years ... Sam Sicilia
sports eight first-round finishes among his 11 career victories. He
has put away three opponents in less than half a minute. Sicilia
faces “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” winner Rony
Mariano Bezerra, who has won his past six fights.